Safety-harness for aviators.



a if, Willard Irv'mgombly.

W. I. TWOMBLY.

SAFETY HARNESS FOR AVIATORS.

APPLIOATION PILBD"DEO.18, 1911.

1 05,8'?%. Patented Jan. 21, 1913.

WITNESSES INVENTOR I HEY-HARNESS FOB AVIATOBS.

oa ers;

Specification of Letters Patent. AWBMflOH flkd 130061111181 18,1911. Serial N0. 863,616-

Patented'Jan. 21, 1913.

city, county, and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements 1n.

Safety-Harness for Aviators, of which the following is'a specification. 'J

This invention relates to harness for aviators. In order to prevent the aviator from being jounced from the seat in the aeroplane when alighting and from other causes the aviator is securely held in position in the seat by straps suitabl fixed to the aeroplane and assed around t e body of the aviator, and t e aviator can only be released by the undoing of buckles or the like which is a slow operation. In many aeroplane accidents could the aviator have' uickly released himself such accidents wo dnot necessarily have been fatal, as it would have given the aviator an opportunity to get clear of the aeroplane by Jumping rior to the aeroplane to the oun should the acci out be due to the ailing of the samti, and while he would be in ured it wou d revent him from being pinned and smashed in the wreckage of the aeroplane.

It is the object of the present invention to provide a safety harness for aviators that will at all tima firmly and yieldingly' maintain the aviator in position in the aeroplane, but which is so constructed that it'may be quickly and readily releasable to permit the aviator to clear himself of the aeroplane in case of accident, and for this purpose I provide braces consistin "of a series of straps to of the aviator yield e framework of the an aviator, and in dotted lines substantially. the positions -to which the straps. will be thrown when released. Fig. 2 is a front elevation ofmy improved aviators harness;

and Fi 3 is a sectional detail view taken on the ine X-'-X of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows, and showing one borough of Manhattan, in the and formmanner of releasably assembling the free ends of the straps in front of the aviator.

Similar charactersof reference designate like arts throughout the difierent views of the awing. a

In the embodiment of my invention illus- 'trated in the drawing 1 have shown the same as braces comprising straps 4, 4 to extendover the shou ders and straps 5, 5 to extend around the body of the aviator, said straps preferably connected in pairs, that. is, one of the shoulder and one of the body straps, to rings 6, 6 in therear of time aviator. The rings 6 preferably consis of two coils, theone strap as 5, connected to-one coil and the other strap 4 connected to-the other coil, so that the straps will be clamped between the coils of the ring and revent undue movement of the straps an the rings relativel to each other. The shoulder straps 0 each pair are-adjustable, for which purpose they consist of two sections connected by ,a buckle 7 secured to one of the sections. The shoulder stra s are also preferably adjustablyhconnecte in the" rear of the aviator'as by nieans' of a sectional strap 8. connected by a suitable buckle. The straps are so assembled. and locked in position in front of the aviator as to be quickly and readily released, and ,for this pu so each of'the shoulder straps and one o the body straps are provided with chapes 8 hav ing an orifice whereby they are assembled upon a stud 9 forming. a art of or fixed to a plate 13 secured to the ee end of one of the body straps 5. The straps are maintained in assembled position bya key, such as a split or cotter-pin 10, passing transversely through the stud 9, said pin alwa s maintained in connection with one of t e stra" s 5 by a chain 11 connected to an eye 12 xed to the plate 13. The'chapes 8 are so assembled onthe stud 9 that when the key 10 is removed they will be. thrown off from the said stud, and for this purpose I provide a suitable spring, in the presentinstance shown as a leaf spring 14 fixed at one end to the plate 13, said spring having an. opening near its free and through which the stud passes and, so tensioned thatthe free end will normally assume a position near the "outer end of the stud, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3, thereby tending to always throw the chapes otf from the stud.

The harness is secured to the framework 139 15 of the fuselage of an aeroplane, preferably to one of the standards, by means of straps 16 connected at one end to the rings 6 the other end passes around oneof the standards of the framework, and secured by a suitable buckle, as clearly shown in Fig. 1. It is essential that the harness when secured to the framework by the straps ld not only maintain the aviator in position but also 10 permit him to have a limited free movement, for which purpose the straps 16 are made up of two sections yieldingly connected by members 1'1 which may'consist of a rubber loop or other elastic material. To prevent undue stretching of the members 17 with a consequent liability of the breakage of the same, and also to prevent separation of the strap sections should said members 17 be broken I provide auxiliary connecting 20'members 18 .which may consist of stron loops of cable of suitableflexible materia Itis to be understood that the cable loo s are larger than the yielding loops, as clear y shown in Fig.2. X i

In practice the harness is first secured to the framework 15 by the straps 16, the aviator. then taking .his place intheseat in the aeroplane when the straps 1 are placed over the shoulders and the'straps 5 around the body below the arms .and the free ends assembled on the stud 9carried by one of the stra s. As the straps are assembled on the .stu they are pressed down agiiinst the tension of the spring 14 and Ice ed in assembled position by the key 10, the key being springy or resilient is frictionally locked in position in the stud with no liability of the accidental release of the same. Should it be found that the body strapsare located too high or too low around the body the shoulder'straps are let-out or taken up as may be desired, and should the shoulder straps lie close to the neck, or hang over the shoulders they may be adjuste'd'tooccupy 5 the proper position by taking up or letting out the strap sections 8.' In order to quickly release the strapsnit is only necessary -topul .done by grasping the chain 11, the pressure on the s ring 14 then being released the tension 0 the spring will th'rowthe straps of from the stud to substantially the posi- 'tions shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, the

harness falling clear of the aviator.

Variations may be resorted to within the see of my invention.

thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A safety harness for aviators, compris- 00 ing a series of ,straps'connected to ther at one end whereby the harness is a apted to be connected to the framework of an' aeroplane, said straps ada ted to extend over the shoulders and aroun the body; and means connected to the free ends of said straps to out the key 10, which can be readily.

assemble all of the free ends of the straps in front of the aviator to permit of the simultaneous release of the same, substantially. as and for the purpose specified.

2. A safety harness foraviators, comprising a plurality of straps connected together at one end and adapted to extend over the shoulders and around the body, means carried by the free ends of one of the straps upon which the free ends of the other straps are adapted to be assembled; quick releasable means to releasably maintain the straps in assembled position; and means tosimultaneously release all of said straps when the retaining means is removed, substantially 30 as and for the purpose specified.

3. A'safety harness for aviators, comprisinig stra s connected together at one end and a apte to extend around the body; means carried by the free end of one of the straps upon which the free ends of the other straps are assembled in front of the aviator; uick "removable means to retain the free en 3 of the straps in assembled position; means connected to one of the straps to simultaneously release all' of the straps when the retaining means is removed; and meansto connect the harness ,to an aeroplane, substantially as and forthe purpose specified.

4. A safety harness for aviators, comprising straps to extend over the shoulders and around the body of the aviator and connectedv at one end to the framework of an aeroplane; a stud carried at the free end of one of said straps on which the free ends of the other straps are assembled to releasably connect all of said ends of the straps; means to lock said ends of the straps on the stud; and means, to simultaneously throw all of the straps off of the stud when the locking means isrelea'sed, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

- 5. A safety harness for aviators comprising a'plur'allty of straps to be connected at one end to the framework of an aeroplane and adaptedito extend over the. shoulders and around the body of the aviator; a stud carriedat the .free'end of one of said straps on which the free ends of the other straps are assembled to releasably connect said ends; a removable pin assing transversely through saidstud to maintain the straps as- 'sembled onsaid stud; and a spring fixed to the stud-carrying strap, the tension of said firing tending to throw the straps off of 120 e st ud when the pin is removed, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

6. A safety harness for aviators, comprising straps connected. at one end to the framework of an areoplane and adapted to chapes fixed to the free ends of said straps; a stud fixed to one of said chapes to ro ect laterally therefrom and upon which stud the other-,chapes are assembled to releas- 130 extend around the body of the aviator;

noses-m alily connect the free ends of the straps; a cotter pin passing transversely through said stud to maintain the chapes assembled thereon; and a spring connected to the stud-carrying chape tensioned to throw the chapes from the stud when the pin is removed to relase the straps, substantially as and for the purpose specified. v

7. A safety harness for aviators, comprising .a plurality of straps yieldingly connected at one end to the framework, said straps to extend over the shoulders and around the body of the aviator; a chape having a laterally projecting stud fixed to the free end of one of the straps; a leaf spring also connected to said chape having a perforation through which the stud passes, the outer end of the spring normally in a position near the end of the stud; chapes fixed to the free ends of the other straps having openings in which the stud is adapted to engage to assemble the ends or" the straps, a removable pin passing transversely through the stud to releasahiy maintain the chapes in assembled nosition on the stud against the tension of the spring; said spring simulianeously throwing oil all of the straps from the stud when the pin is removed, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

8. A safety harness for aviators, comprising two pairs of straps, one strap oi each pair extending over the shoulders, and the other strap or each pair extending around the body, of the aviator; a pair of rings the ends of each pair of straps connected to one of said rings and whereby the harness is connected to toe framework of an aeroplane; and means to releasahly connect the other ends or the straps in frontal the avinior, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

9. Pi safety harness for aviators, comprising UH) pairs of straps, one strap of each pair adjustable and extending over the shoulders, and the other strap of each pair extending around the body, of the aviator; a ring connected to the ends of each pair of straps in back of the aviator; a strap to adjustably connect the shoulder straps of each pair in hack of the aviator; means connected to the rings to yieldingly connect the harness to the framework 025 an aeroplane;

and means to releasahly connect the other ends of said straps in front of the aviator, substantially as and for the purpose specified,

10. A. safety harness for aviators, comprising straps to extend around the body or" the aviator; rings connected to one endoi said stra s; means to releasably connect the other en s of said straps in front of the aviator; and means to yieldingly connect the harness to the framework of an aeroplane, comprising sectional straps one section connected to one of the rings and the other section to the framework, and a resilient member to connect the strap sections, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

11. A safety harness for aviators, cornprising straps to extend around the body of the aviator; rings connected one end of said straps; means to releasahly connect the other ends of said straps in "front of the aviator; and means to adjustahly and yieldingly connect the harness to the framework of an aerogilane, comprising sectional straps, one section connected to the rings and the other section to the framework, and a .rubher hand and flexible cable of greater length than the rubber band to connect the strap sections, said cahle preventing undue stretching of the rubber band and the separation of the strap sections by the accidental breakage of said hand.

WlLlZARD lRVlNG TWQMBLY.

iVitnesses:

Jorm O. SEIFERT; PAULA Pniurr. 

